Opioid deaths, awareness increasing, study says

The number of opioid-related deaths increased in many parts of Missouri last year, but a new study indicates public awareness of overdose prevention is also rising.

Results of the study conducted by EPIC (Early Prevention Impacts Community), also reflected a recent rise in the percentage of people who personally know an overdose victim.

Based in Cape Girardeau, EPIC is a coalition supported by several community organizations and area law enforcement agencies focused on preventing youth substance abuse

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) documented a 43% increase in opioid-involved deaths across the state during the first half of 2020, compared to the first half of 2019.

"I have not seen the numbers for the last half of 2020 yet, but sadly, based on overdoses that I am personally aware of, I expect that this upward trend has continued," said Shelly Wood, community services coordinator for EPIC.

According to DHSS, there were 500 opioid-involved deaths in Missouri from January through June 2019 and 716 fatalities during the first six months of 2020. The largest month-to-month increases during that period were April and May during the height of Missouri's COVID-19 lockdown. The 142 deaths recorded in April last year was 118.5% more than the 65 opioid deaths during the same month in 2019, while the May 2020 total of 144 was up 80% from the 80 deaths in May 2019.

The majority of those deaths occurred in St. Louis and St. Louis County, which experienced a 40% increase in deaths from the first half of 2019 (275 fatalities) compared to the first half of 2020 (384 deaths).

Although relatively small, the number of opioid overdose deaths in Cape Girardeau County and the adjoining counties of Bollinger, Scott and Perry all increased during the first half of last year. In the first half of 2020 there was a total of nine fatalities in the four counties compared to the same period in 2019 when there were just three deaths.

Late last year, EPIC conducted an online community survey on the public awareness about opioid abuse. Survey participants, Wood said, were primarily Cape Girardeau County residents.

"Recognizing the growing problem of opioid overdoses and fatalities, we wanted to measure the impact on our community," she said. "Sadly, we learned many people have been personally impacted by overdoses."

The survey, conducted in mid-December, found more than half (51.6%) of survey participants personally knew someone who had suffered an opioid overdose.

"We also wanted to see where there were gaps in knowledge around lifesaving information," Wood continued. "We learned there were some serious gaps related to Narcan (the brand name of an opioid antidote known as naloxone) and we wanted to help people understand that Narcan can be an important tool in preventing opioid deaths."

Narcan, she explained, is available without a prescription and, in some cases, at no cost through community organizations such as Recover Out Loud, which conducts monthly Narcan distributions at various locations throughout the area.

The December survey found most respondents, about 90%, had some familiarity with Narcan, but nearly a third believed a prescription was required to obtain Narcan in Missouri and only about half (53.7%) said they would administer Narcan if they saw someone overdosing.

With those numbers in mind, EPIC began a campaign early this year to promote the benefits and availability of Narcan using billboards, social media posts, direct mail, and newspaper ads. EPIC then conducted a follow up survey between March 26 and April 22 to see whether the campaign had any bearing on public awareness.

Results of the latest survey found more people -- 61.7% compared to the previous 51.6% -- knew someone who had overdosed. However, the new survey also found a growing percentage of the public (95.5%) had heard of Narcan, only 17.2% thought a it required a prescription, and 75% of the survey participants said they would give Narcan to an overdose victim.

"We were glad to see increased knowledge on prevention strategies and hope to see that knowledge continue to spread throughout the community in order to reduce overdose deaths," Wood said.

More information about EPIC, including additional survey results, can be found on the organization's website, www.epicprevention.org. To learn more about Recover Out Loud, visit www.recoveroutloud.us.

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